Time to review religious instruction in schools

Religious education in government schools is a hot topic in Australia. Whenever we have conducted consultations with diverse religious communities the most frequent request we have received is for education about diverse religions to be included in the curriculum from the first years of schooling.

Australia is a multifaith nation and as religions are playing an increasingly prominent role in the public sphere, there is a growing need for Australian young people to develop religious literacy and interreligious understanding.

However, while several recent Australian studies have recognised the central role that education plays in building a socially inclusive and secure multifaith society, religious education in Australia has been described as far behind other countries.

These studies have recommended a shift from special religious instruction, as it is known in Victoria, currently taught be volunteers from mostly Christian communities in government schools, to a more inclusive form of religions education to be developed and taught by qualified educators.

Although religious communities such as Buddhists, Jews and Baha'i's also offer religious instruction classes in Victoria, students can only choose to receive instruction from one religious tradition.

We are concerned that ignorance about religions can lead to prejudice and disrespect that greatly undermines social inclusion strategies and places our common security at risk.

Allowing narrow religious messages to be taught to young Australians could sustain interreligious ignorance and heighten social tensions. Whereas, promoting an understanding of diverse faiths is likely to increase respect for religions and to minimise alienation and thereby contribute to a more harmonious society.

Consequently, shifting from religious instruction to an inclusive system of religions and ethics education, can be seen to be in our national interest.

While there is no doubt that further research is necessary, we believe there are sufficient concerns expressed in existing research to recommend a comprehensive review of the way special religious instruction is currently being taught in Victoria and in other Australian states.

Given that the United Kingdom has developed and implemented world religions education since the mid-1970s, it is well worth examining the UK model in conjunction with other best practice models of multifaith education in Australian independent schools, in order to develop a more inclusive model of religions and ethics education for young Australians.

Gary Bouma is UNESCO Chair in Interreligious and Intercultural Relations - Asia Pacific, and Anna Halafoff is Researcher in Interreligious and Intercultural Relations at Monash University.